Despite the Angels efforts to have Angel Stadium refurbished or replaced, the ballpark can’t be all that bad. It helped the club land Carlos Pena.

Pena, a 13-year veteran, signed a minor league deal with the Angels partly because of the ballpark.

“It’s my favorite stadium,” Pena said this morning. “The infield is pristine. I like the setup. I like the atmosphere. The Rally Monkey. It was always against me. This time it will be for me. I look forward to that.”

It remains to be seen whether Pena will get the chance to actually play for the team at Angel Stadium, though.

He’s only on a minor league deal, and no lock to make the team. His pluses are that he’s an outstanding defensive first baseman and he has experience and power. The minuses are his inability to play anywhere except first, and his overall production has slipped. Last season he hit .209 with the Houston Astros and then got released and picked up by the Kansas City Royals, but he batted only three times.

“I think I can contribute,” Pena, 35, said. “They know what I can bring to the table. Mike Scioscia is a very smart man, so he’ll figure it out. All I can do is be ready. I feel ready.”